Permission to reproduce this image for other than personal use must be requested from the Director of the Jefferson County Historical Society. Please contact at 615 W. First St., Madison, IN 47250 (812) 265-2335; Permission to reproduce this image for other than personal use must be requested from the Director of the Madison-Jefferson County Public Library. Please contact at 420 W. Main St., Madison, IN 47250 (812) 265-2744.

Coverage

Indiana-Jefferson County-Madison

Source

Jefferson County Historical Society

Identifier

"JCHSV000559"; "MJCPLV000559a"

Notes

Additional information: There were at least four depots in Madison during the life of the railroad. Not much is known of the first two. The Madison Courier on November 28, 1981 stated, "The first depot downtown was an old shed just around the bend in the track." It was at the foot of what is now Cragmont Street (then Depot Street) and was constructed in the 1830s. The second depot was a small passenger depot located on the north side of Vaughn Drive (then Ohio Street) between West and Mulberry Streets. It was built around 1841 and was owned by the railroad president, John Woodburn, and was rented to the railroad. It was used until 1849. In 1848 the railroad bought the old Flint Pork Packing House at the northwest corner of Vine Street and Vaughn Drive. In this picture you can see the old pork plant to the left of the picture. A 346-foot train shed was added to the existing building to create a freight terminal nearly a block long. Trains could be driven inside the shed to load and unload freight and passengers. Directly to the south of the terminal, a wharf was built to receive and discharge freight and passengers from the riverboats. With an increase in passenger traffic, a new and larger facility was needed. Adjacent to the freight terminal a new passenger depot was completed in 1849. The brick building was 270 feet long with the track entering from the west end, allowing trains to pull inside for the loading and unloading of passengers. Rooftop ventilators allowed the escape of locomotive smoke and steam. As locomotives became increasingly larger, the enclosed train shed became outmoded. In 1895 a new depot was built on First Street. It still stands today and has been preserved as a museum by the Jefferson County Historical Society. Sources: MJCPL Historical Files; JCHS Historical Files; Madison Courier